[01/09/09 - 09:02 AM]Nickelodeon Greenlights 26 Additional Episodes of New Cg Animated Comedy Series the Penguins of MadagascarIn total, 52 episodes of the series will begin rolling out on Saturday, March 28 at 9:30/8:30c after the 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards.

[via press release from Nickelodeon]

Nickelodeon Greenlights 26 Additional Episodes of New CG Animated Comedy Series The Penguins of Madagascar

Based on Penguin Brothers from DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar Franchise, New Comedy to Premiere on Nickelodeon, Saturday, March 28 Following Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Jan. 9 -- Nickelodeon has greenlit 26 additional episodes of the highly anticipated CG animated comedy series The Penguins of Madagascar, a co-production with DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. it was announced today by Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group. The pick-up, which further forges the partnership between two of the world's most prolific producers of television and feature film animation, brings the total order to 52 new episodes of the show, which will premiere on Nickelodeon following Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards on Saturday, March 28 at 9:30 PM (ET/PT). The series will then move to its regular timeslot on Saturdays at 10:00 AM (ET/PT) beginning April 4.

The Penguins of Madagascar, based on the beloved penguin brothers in DreamWorks Animation's hit feature films Madagascar ($532 million worldwide gross) and Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa ($519 million worldwide as of January 2009), tells the story of a group of penguins who believes it leads an elite strike force with top-tier commando skills from its Central Park Zoo headquarters. The series is being produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Calif.

"Our partnership with DreamWorks Animation has yielded a true gem in The Penguins of Madagascar," said Zarghami. "We're excited to be bringing these characters to our audience with the same level of excellence they have come to expect from the hit Madagascar feature films."

Nickelodeon's recent "sneak peeks" of the new series, which premiered over Thanksgiving weekend, drew an average of 14 million viewers (persons 2+, Nov. 28-30), including 7.2 million Kids 2-11.

The series features the all-new adventures of Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, four penguins who rule the roost at their Central Park Zoo home. While the brothers have their flippers full keeping their multi-species zoo neighborhood happy, at times their secret missions beckon them to venture out to New York City's busy subways and sewer systems. Just as the team thinks it has its urban acreage under control, a new neighbor moves in next door: Julien, a party animal and self-proclaimed "King of the Lemurs," with an entourage and overactive ego. Throughout the season, new animals will be introduced as well as old friends from the "Madagascar" theatrical films.

The Penguins of Madagascar is executive produced by Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley, (Disney's Kim Possible and Hercules, Sky High) and reprises the voices of Tom McGrath as Skipper and Andy Richter (Late Night with Conan O' Brien) as Mort. Additional voices include Jeff Bennett (Enchanted) as Kowalski, James Patrick Stuart (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) as Private, John DiMaggio (Futurama) as Rico, Nicole Sullivan (Mad TV) as Marlene, and Danny Jacobs (Futurama) stars as Julien, King of the Lemurs.

About DreamWorks Animation SKG

DreamWorks Animation is principally devoted to developing and producing computer generated, or CG, animated feature films. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, DreamWorks Animation makes high quality CG animated films meant for a broad movie-going audience. The Company has theatrically released a total of fifteen animated feature films, including "Antz," "Shrek," "Shrek 2," "Shark Tale," "Madagascar," "Over the Hedge," "Shrek the Third" and "Bee Movie."

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).